I can still remember the first time I kept the Sabbath … the joy, the excitement, the love in my heart for God. For months, everywhere I turned, God had been confronting me with knowledge about His fourth Commandment “Keep the Sabbath Day Holy”. I was reluctant. But after learning the 7 day weekly cycle was unbroken, I was convinced God desired for me (and ALL mankind!) to honor the 7th day Sabbath (sunset Friday to sunset Saturday). What gave me the most joy as I knelt down on my knees that first Friday night back in AD 2006? It was knowing I was doing something the Creator God desired for me to DO! In other words, I knew what I was doing pleased God! Words cannot explain the love that flooded my soul that night.Today, I often get messaged by people reading my book, curious about the Sabbath and how to observe it. Here’s the bottom line … it’s about REST from your weekly struggle (labor) to earn money! Understand? It’s not about a long list of specific do’s & don’ts. That’s what the Pharisees of Jesus’ day tried to do to the Sabbath! (Remember when they accused Jesus’ disciples of “working” because they picked some corn to eat because they were hungry on the Sabbath.) Ridiculous! Don’t do that to yourself! The Sabbath is not a burden, it’s a refreshing delight!
Listen, when you understand God’s 7 Day (7,000 years) Master Time Plan for planet Earth as foretold in His 7 prophetic Days Creation event, and that Day 7 (years 6,000 - 7,000) will be the Satan-locked-up, glorious, peaceful, restful, loving reign of Jesus Christ & all the resurrected righteous, you should think to emulate that atmosphere on the Sabbath Day. The day should be full of love, happiness, peace, rest, and joy. In other words, keep it holy. Take a walk, visit a zoo, smell the flowers, read God’s Word, help a neighbor, visit the sick & imprisoned, breathe, laugh, love, just take it easy and rest. Without a doubt, the Sabbath should be a DELIGHT (a day you look forward to) each week, not a burden.
Those who despise the Sabbath Day despise God. They think God is trying to control their life. They do not want to honor God, His wishes, or His plans. They want to live their own life and do their own thing. I assure you this rebellious mindset and attitude is a losing venture. Remember, God’s fourth commandment is not a “suggestion”; it is a COMMAND for you to DO. God is testing your resolve to trust Him and honor Him with this simple-to-do commandment. Will you? Oh, how I pray people find the joy of God’s Sabbath (now & forevermore)!
Blessed Sabbath to All,
Gabriel
Approximately 798 Weeks (Sabbaths) Remaining Till Christ's Return!
Hi, this is something I wanted to ask you, because when I read your book, I tried keeping Sabbath and I did it the way you do, Friday 6pm to Saturday 6pm, and I'm on the other side of the world so mine starts and ends earlier. But is this 6pm thing really important, or I can do it the whole of Saturday, 12 to 12? Not everyone knows about this and so sometimes I felt alone, like I was the only one here doing it. And sometimes I feel, because a lot of true Christians I know rest on Sundays, that there's nothing wrong with doing it on a Sunday or otherwise it's as if they're going to be judged based on what day they observe Sabbath and it didn't seem right to me. Thanks Gabriel.
ReplyDeleteHi Chris. Good questions! There is no set hour the Sabbath begins or ends, rather it arrives at sundown Friday and ends at sundown Saturday in your area of the globe. For me (living at 36.5 degrees north of the equator) the Sabbath day changes from around 4pm Fri to 4pm Sat in winter, to 9pm Fri to 9pm Sat in the summer.
DeleteThink back, way back, to the time before mankind divided the day into 24 parts (hours) ... How did they know how to keep counting one day to the next? ONLY from they could see, a continues cycle of dark to light, dark to light, dark to light, created by the sun going down and coming up again. It didn't matter if they traveled 1,000 miles east or west, they still knew what day they were on and when it was over from when the sun went down.
Today, it's easy for mankind to know what day of the week it is because the planet is completely connected with clocks. Therefore, as for changing God's Sabbath to a different day of the week, like the first day (Sunday) ... uggh, there is a plethora of information out there showing how Satan accomplished this deception to "trick" mankind into disobeying God's Law, for as the Bible prophesied, "He would think to change times and laws".
I see. I didn't realize that. Thank you bro and God bless. :)
DeleteJust wanted to add Chris, I also was confused about this whole thing, but when I understood it all and decided to obey God's day instead of man's, it's now so wonderful and worth it! Also, I am the only one in my family who is keeping the Sabbath, the Lord's day. I sometimes get mocked and joked about as they find it strange, that I'm the odd ball, but I understand as I was once in their shoes. Besides, when you are persecuted it means you're on the right track! I'll be a fool for the Lord any day instead of doing the world's "accepted" practices. So we can either conform to the world's ways or the Lord's, the choice is ours. May the Lord almighty bless you for your obedience my brother! Hang in there!
DeleteSince 95% of the people observe the Sabbath on Sunday,are they all sinners.
ReplyDeleteAnother great question, Zeek. The quick answer to your question is ... absolutely yes! Anytime we humans do NOT do what the Lord commands, exactly as He commands it, it is a sin.
DeleteBut now let me add this; the Bible talks in different spots about people who "sin without knowing it". And I'll let you research what all the Bible has to say about that predicament for yourself.
But let me quote just one passage here, the end of a parable from Jesus, " ... And that servant, which KNEW his lord's will, and prepared NOT himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that KNEW NOT, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes" (Luke 12:47-48)
Zeek, for me, to now decide to NOT keep God's true sundown Friday to sundown Saturday Sabbath (as do those of the Jewish faith and many others), would be dire sin! In fact, I have two personal stories of God punishing me for trying to work on the Sabbath right after I began keeping it back in 2006, but that is too much to get into now. But rest assured, I absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt KNOW God desires for me and ALL mankind to honor His true Sabbath day, by resting and keeping it holy. And soon, in Christ's millennial Kingdom, all the resurrected righteous will! Hallelujah!
Amen. Yes, I agree. Zeek, it is a sin. Let's call a spade a spade like they say. But how the Lord will deal with it to those convinced of Satan's lie is unknown. Like Gabriel mentioned, people will be judged for what they know. So those who know well that the Sabbath is indeed the Lord's day, and that man (a certain powerful church, research the whole matter) changed His day to another, woe to them on Judgement day, because they knew! So let's just leave it for the Lord as He certainly knows what he is doing, and He is fair and all-knowing! Certainly not our job to judge others, just to teach and warn them. Let's focus on correcting ourselves, preparing our hearts and minds during this probationary period we have here in this life. Then and only then we should teach others, just like Jesus taught us in Matthew 7:5
ReplyDelete"You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye."